How long can bad credit stay on your credit report?

Sometimes it can seem like trying to read an Aztec Calendar when attempting to understand the nuances of credit reporting statutes of limitation. The short answer is that credit reporting agencies generally keep bad credit information for seven years, yet by law they can delete the information anytime they wish, even before seven years.1 The long answer, however, is much more complex.

Disputing inaccurate bad credit using letters.

One thing you must always consider carefully when removing inaccurate information is your FICO credit score. Some inaccurate information may not be adverse at all, and its presence may be helping your score more than it’s hurting it.

A young woman’s success story.

I am a young woman in my mid/late twenties who made a royal mess of her credit report as a “new adult”. I have searched high and low, and read every book and website you can imagine about how to clean up my credit score.

About the Author, Dana Neal

Dana Neal learned all the ins and outs of the credit game while collecting debts for the Greater Lakes Higher Education Corporation. He quickly became disenchanted with the way his peers conducted themselves and with the state of credit reporting in the United States in general.

After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in aviation, Neal went on to active duty, piloting several types of aircraft, including the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and various multi-engine airplanes.

He was injured in the line of duty and medically retired from military service, and his subsequent financial hardships led him to become a consumer advocate, dedicated to championing the cause of individual consumers. His mission: to inform others of their rights and to demonstrate that they wield significant power over their credit report. In keeping with that goal, he founded BestCredit. He now spends his time teaching others what his experience as both a collector and a debtor has taught him about debt collection and credit reporting.